What’s Your Side Hustle?

No, you don’t need to turn that hobby you love into a job. Hustling up front is just enough…

“You’re so talented! You should start your own crafting business! You could sell this stuff!”

Ever since I sewed my first pattern with my trusty Husqvarna Viking Daisy 22 years ago - Harry Potter and Hermione Granger capes for me and my son’s dad our first Halloween as Mr. and Mrs. - I’ve been getting that.

Or I get the alternate: “This could be a great side hustle for you.”

I always smile and say “Thank you” for the compliment to my handiwork. Sometimes I add, “I’m crazy busy with my day job.”

Not wrong, but my day job is always crazy.

The truth is, I just love crafting. I love creating things. I’ve tinkered with side hustles, eBay stores, Esty shops, and the like over the years, up until last year, in fact. I went through the process of fighting - and I do mean fighting - there’s a reason SquareSpace is my new home on the ‘net - WordPress and WooCommerce to create an online store.

Ultimately, I abandoned the idea. I love crafting. I love making things. There is absolutely divine about sitting down in front of a sewing machine and feeding fabric under the needle.

But that’s just it. When I was a stay at home mom for 2 years back in my son’s toddler days, I had a craft business: “Made With Love Keepsakes.” I did craft shows and sold custom party invites and quilts on eBay. I had fun…until the shipping deadlines (a custom craft business is just that: custom, no inventory) turned the joy of papercraft and quilting into a job.

I would absolutely love for the my craft and fabric stash to pay for itself one day, but that’s not the point. The point is slowing down, enjoying my downtime, doing something I love and enjoying every moment.

I do hustle. Taking care of 2 perpetual canine toddlers, telling my husband where to find the things he can’t see right in front of his nose, and my son.

My craft time is for me.